Modest and Handsome – Centennial Park House by Partridge Daniels

Opening up to the rear while maintaining its heritage signature detailing to the front, Centennial Park House sits proud as an inter-war Californian bungalow, as part of a row of similar-era gems. Partridge Daniels reimagines the interior, creating opportunities for natural light to flood the mostly white-based spaces as the volumes expand upward and deeper into the site.

 From approach, the quaint and approachable bungalow home balances a grandness of proportion and scale with a humbled approach to detailing and absence of fuss. In its tidy and considered presentation, it stands as a handsome and modest contributor to the row of heritage homes it is a part of. Originally built in the 1920s, the home’s inherited shell is transformed and opened up to the rear, adding amenity and carving a new connected living space for all to convene in. Key to the new addition was a feeling of seamless transition between the existing and the proposed, ensuring the entire home felt conceived from a central and holistic cause. Partridge Daniels combines a heightened approach to materiality and finish, crafting a sensitive addition that responds to its past.

Key to the new addition was a feeling of seamless transition between the existing and the proposed, ensuring the entire home felt conceived from a central and holistic cause.

Built by EJ Constructions, Centennial Park House sits on the outer edges of Centennial Park itself, primed and as a remnant of one of the earlier establishments of the area being residential in nature. The original generosity of proportions is then reinterpreted into the new, referencing the wide corridors and passages and the depth of the verandah as soon as one enters the home. The single-story home is opened up to an additional level to the rear, hidden from street level and perched above the combined living space. Opening generously to the garden, a matched proportion deck and verandah extend outward, with a timber-lined soffit overhead, nudging the living space to spill out over the threshold and into the outdoors.

From a base of white and neutral finishes, the original details are further highlighted, with that same attention to detail carried through into the new. A muted, grey-washed timber flooring connects between the eras and adds both warmth and texture. With little of the original furniture to remain, the entire house is brought together with a fresh palette and connected series of gestures that act as an extension to the owner. Rich and saturated pops of colour present in the selection of artwork and textiles throughout, connecting back to the depth of history imbedded within the home.

With little of the original furniture to remain, the entire house is brought together with a fresh palette and connected series of gestures that act as an extension to the owner.

In its use of restraint and simplified palette, Centennial Park House becomes the ideal base for family life. Partridge Daniels beautifully combines the existing with the new, through a modest and appropriate lens.